What We Get Wrong About Recharging

With my recent trip to Italy, this week’s Fourth of July holiday, and my current pursuit to LIVE on the weekend, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about recharging. And I realized something big. I have been confusing rest and recharging.

Sure, they sound similar. And for years, I’ve used them interchangeably. But my recent weekends of really living have got me thinking; resting and recharging aren’t really the same thing at all, are they?

I came back from Italy feeling totally recharged and nourished. The trip was good for my soul. But it sure as heck wasn’t restful. We didn’t get great sleep, and we didn’t do a ton of lounging. In fact, I didn’t read a single page of the three books I downloaded before the trip. I didn’t do a ton of resting, but man did I do some recharging. We walked, we wondered, we ate new food, we laughed, we gasped at landscape views. We had late dinners, went on tours, and drove through the countryside. It was incredible, and I felt so recharged. But we didn’t really rest. And I started to realize, the concepts aren’t quite as similar as we might think.

Often, after a long week, I feel tired. So for a long time, I assumed what I needed was to rest. And sometimes that’s the case; I am exhausted and need to let my body and brain rest. But now that I’m paying attention, I realize there’s a bit more to the story. More often than not, I feel drained or run down at the end of a week. In those cases, what I need isn’t just rest. I need to recharge.

So who cares; why on Earth am I splitting hairs over this?

Part of mindfulness is tuning into our experience and listening to what we need. Sometimes we need rest. We need to slow down, let our bodies and minds be. We need to take naps, lounge, or cuddle with fur babies. But other times, we need to recharge. We need to try something new, make plans with friends, explore nature, or cook a hearty meal. We need different things depending on how we’re feeling, and if we don’t have the vocabulary to talk about what we need, we’re in trouble!

Think about how you rest, relax, and unwind. Now think about how you recharge, engage, and fill up your cup. My guess? You come up with some different things. As I continue this journey to really LIVE on the weekend, I’m paying attention to what I really need throughout the weekend. And I have a new question to ask myself. Do I need to rest, or do I need to recharge?

As always, I’m so pumped you’re following along as I choose to live more intentionally on the weekends. I’m grateful to share this journey with you!

PS: Wondering how to know whether you need to rest or recharge this weekend? Check out this post!